Sarah Palin grew up in the rugged frontiers of Alaska and became a political trailblazer. In her youth she transformed from a quiet, unremarkable student into a beauty queen and married her high school sweetheart, Todd Palin. Ambition started burning inside Sarah Palin as she went from housewife to small-town mayor. When Alaska's Republican Party became tarred with wide-reaching scandals, she ran for governor as a Republican political reformer and won, becoming Alaska's first female governor. Then as a relative unknown she was chosen as the first female Republican vice-presidential candidate, and only the second woman in U.S. history to appear on a major party ticket. What set Sarah Palin apart even at an early age was her fierce determination. In high school she earned the nickname Barracuda. And, she achieved much of her success while also fulfilling the roles of wife and mother. Popular for her plain-spoken manner and her charisma, many political observers consider her to be the future of the Republican Party. Book jacket.